Gatsby and such

1. Why, ultimately, did Daisy choose Tom instead of Jay?
1. Daisy is absurdly concerned with keeping up appearances.  She worries about what people will think of her, and balks at the notion of running away from her husband with a suitor from "new money" (insert condescending venom).  Daisy's also concerned about 
2. Which aspects of the major characters do you admire?  Why?  (Say which character, which trait, and why you admire it.)
1. I really respect Gatsby's tenacity and willingness to do anything to gain Daisy's love.  He never gives up, even to the very end.
2. I don't really respect the characters in the book very much.  They all act kind of trashy and depressing.
3. Which aspects of the major characters do you not admire?  Why?
1. Daisy is very fickle and selfish.  Even in her youth, she would go on seven dates a day with seven different people.  She doesn't respect men and tosses them aside like garbage when she doesn't think she can get anything more.
2. Gatsby is willing to destroy an already fragile marriage by stealing Daisy away from Tom (not that Tom deserves her)
3. They're all super pretentious.
4. I am not a fan of the opulence and excess displayed in this novel.  I seriously doubt any of these characters would vote green.
4. Who is the protagonist of this novel?  Who or what is the antagonist? Explain your answers.
1. Gatsby is the protagonist of this novel.  He takes the most action, and the reader empathizes and thinks about him the most.  He is an unbelievably optimistic guy, and everyone and everything that brings him down collectively serves as the antagonist of the story.  Daisy leads Gatsby on and then abruptly drops him on the ground.  Tom yells at Gatsby and forces him to confront the reality that Daisy doesn't really love him.  Everything that brings Gatsby down and makes him realize that the world isn't perfect becomes the antagonist.  Daisy and all of those other haters are the current ceaselessly beating Gatsby down.
5. Jay Gatsby's life does not follow the arc of a typical tragic hero.  But do you as a reader sense some tragedy (of the Shakespearian variety) in his death?  In other words, is Jay Gatsby a character capable of eliciting a catharsis (Links to an external site.) in the reader? Explain why or why not.
1. Yes, Gatsby's death relieved a lot of emotional tension.  After he died, Nick felt as though he could move on and forget about the whole east-coast sordid affair.  Tom and Daisy also just want to move on after he dies.  All of the anxiety and emotional tension that collects throughout the story is suddenly relieved when he dies.
6. If this book is an argument, what is its thesis statement?  (Try to come up with two or three answers to this question, and don't settle for the simplest statements; honor the complexity of this text by trying to discover its subtleties and nuances.)
1. Fitzgerald doesn't believe that we can escape our pasts.  Everything Gatsby does is for his lost love Daisy, and Nick gets roped in with Tom and Daisy's garbage.
2. Excess and wealth can corrupt people.  It's hard to stay morally straight with so much money.
7. Francis Bacon says we should read to "weigh and consider" the ideas presented to us in novels.  In what ways does The Great Gatsby challenge your personal view of the world of 2015, your values, your assumptions?  What is your response - for now - to that challenge?
1. The Great Gatsby is a perfect example of how difficult it is to escape the past.  Our previous actions haunt us in the present and modify the opportunities that we have.  After reading this book, I will much more carefully consider how my background has contributed to where I am now.  I feel much more aware of how my actions now will change what happens to me later.
8. According to Thorstein Veblin, conspicuous consumption is not unique to the "leisure class."  He says, "No class of society, not even the most abjectly poor, forgoes all customary conspicuous consumption.  The last items of this category  of consumption are not given up except under stress of the direst necessity.  Very much of squalor and discomfort will be endured before the last trinket of the last pretense of pecuniary decency is put away."  Do you think that's true, that conspicuous consumption is inevitable no matter your wealth?  Should we try to minimize our own instances of conspicuously consuming?  Or are we wrong to assume, with Veblin, that buying things for show is inherently immoral (or at the very least, unseemly)?
1. In general, I don't think the poor participate in conspicuous consumption.  It seems rather ridiculous to presume that people on a small or fixed income would waste money on unnecessary objects when they have to pay for rent and food.  I don't think conspicuous consumption is inherently a bad thing.  There's nothing wrong with showing the world that you have a little bit of wealth.  Instead of focusing on restricting the behavior of the rich, we ought to learn to be more accepting and less judgmental.
9. In Chapter 4 of Plato's Republic, Socrates argues that both wealth and poverty are antithetical to virtue.  He states, "Wealth, I said, and poverty; the one is the parent of luxury and indolence, and the other of meanness and viciousness, and both of discontent."  I think Fitzgerald - based on his portrayals of Jay, Tom, Jordan, Daisy and Wilson - would agree with Socrates (though you may read it differently). Now, the lifestyle you currently live (whatever that is) probably has more to do with your parents' choices and circumstances than your own at this point in your life.  But as you consider the social and economic lifestyle you hope/expect to have as an adult, how do Socrates' and Fitzgerald's views of wealth (and poverty) inform your aspirations?
1. I hope to have enough money to be happy and comfortable.  Being rich or ridiculously wealthy is not important to me, but paying for my kids' education and the things they will need is.  All I aspire towards is contentment; I don't need excess.  Gatsby, Tom and Daisy seem like they are almost made less happy by all their money because life's pleasures begin to lose their appeal.
10. Veblin says, "As wealth accumulates, the leisure class develops further in function and structure, and there arises a differentiation within the class. There is a more or less elaborate system of rank and grades."  Readers see that even among the uber-wealthy in Gatsby's world, there exist gradations of status.  Do you know where your household ranks in comparison to other American households?  Check out this calculator.  (Links to an external site.)(You don't need to write anything for this question....just play around with the numbers and see if it's interesting.)

No Country for Old Men

I didn't ask to be born into a family with enough food.  I'm well-positioned to go to college, but it wasn't my choice to have parents that value education.  The house I ended up in could have easily been in Rwanda, Brazil or Ukraine.  My socioeconomic status is the result of a bunch of chromosomes being mashed up in just the right way.  I could've been born without feet or hands; I could have developed leukemia.  In light of all the bad situations I could've been born into, I feel particularly lucky.

This used to make me feel guilty, but then I went on a service trip to Peru.  While there, I discovered my passion for helping others.  I realized that if I invest in myself now, I can use the skills I learn in college to help the world more later on.  My conflicted conscience was appeased when I promised myself to do good in the world.

My experiences serve as a contrast to Sheriff Bell's spiritual journey.  I've reconciled myself with my position in the world as I've grown older, but Bell becomes more and more disillusioned with his ever-changing rules.

Like Chigurh, I'm a cold-blooded ladykiller.  I also like to think I share a small amount of Moss' spontaneity (I believe I would have taken the money as well).  I don't think I'm very similar to Sheriff Bell because I don't abandon my friends when they need me most.

I believe I'm an "authentic" person in that I live in the situation presented to me, but I do complain a good deal.  My battles with the tech department have left me cynical and jaded, but I still work hard to give my fellow classmates an environment where they can learn to program in spite of the challenges I face.  Rather than giving up and telling myself this school district is impossible to work with, I've accepted the bad and try my best to move forward.

Utah is a pretty conservative state.  There is an abundance of Mormonism here.   My extended family is ardently opposed to gay marriage, but I support that movement wholeheartedly.  Park City serves as a microcosm of liberal-ness in an overwhelmingly red state.  I imagine myself to be a critical thinker, so I've tried my best to formulate my own moral values based on objective logic.  That being said, I am an American and as such I'm sure I've been forced to adopt certain principles as inherently evil without thinking.  Socialism is bad and Communism is godless.

I understand that Sheriff Bell's job has changed around him, but I have a hard time relating to his situation.  I like to think I'm an adaptable person, so in his position I would hope I would be able to change with the times.

Visualizando dimensiones superiores

Dibuja una linea.  ¿Lo has hecho?  Bien.

La linea

Ahora, dibuja más lineas perpendicular a el primero.  ¿Que tienes ahora?

Un cuadrado

Ahora, dibuja más cuadrados perpendicular a el primero para tener un cubo.

El Cubo

Ahora, imagina que puedes dibujar más cubos perpendicular a el primero cubo.  Si pudieras dibujarlo, el objeto sería mirarse como un "hypercubo".

El hypercubo

No podemos hacer este objeto en realidad porque necesitamos cuatro dimensiones.  Podemos construir un sombra como el foto, pero no es perfecto.  Como el foto de cubo no es perfecto porque estamos dibujando el tercero dimension en dos dimensiones, el hypercubo es muy malo porque estamos dibujando el cuarto dimension en dos dimensiones.

Si has leido "A Wrinkle In Time", más o menos entiendes.

Radiación Cherenkov

La luz azul

No es posible para materia ir más rápido que la luz en un vacío.  Es la ley universal.

Pero, es posible para materia ir más rápido que la luz en otros medios, como agua o vidrio.  Este es posible porque la luz no mueve tan rápido en estos materiales.  En vidrio, la luz es lento porque vidrio es más denso que un vacío.  Hay más partículas que necesita evitar.

¿Que pasa cuando partículas mueven más rápido que la luz?

La respuesta es "Radiación Cherenkov".  A través de agua o vidrio luz no puede mover muy rápido, pero para las partículas no hay una problema.  Como con un estampido supersónico, una acumulación de luz forma enfrente de la partícula.

En tiempo, la acumulación esta liberado.  El estampido de luz forma y luz azul esta emitido.  Este cosa se llama Radiación Cherenkov y es responsible para el brillo de reactores nucleares submarinas.  Muy interesante, ¿no?

¿Por qué es tan difícil para aprender Español en la escuela?

Para aprender Español, necesitas trabajar mucho.  Hay muchos palabras, reglas y otras cosas que tienes que recordar si quieres hablar bien.  Puedes memorizar uno o dos palabras y frases como "adios", "como te llamas" y "me gusta", pero toma muchas horas para entender Español verdadero.

Pero, es posible.

En la escuela, todos hablan Ingles (o otro idioma que no es Español).  Si no estas usando Español para comunicarse todo del tiempo, no vas a hablar muy bien.  Para hablar rápidamente y sin acento, practica fuera de la clase.

Puedes aprender mucho de otras idiomas en la escuela, pero no es la misma como ir a otro país donde hablan diferente que tú.  En mi opinion, la única manera a aprender otras idiomas muy bien es para sumergirte en la vida y la cultura.  Soló una hora tres días de la semana no es bastante.

Por favor, practica tu Español todo el tiempo.  Entiendo que no puedes usarlo en cada situación como en México, pero hay muchas lugares que puedes hablar Español.  Si puedo hacerlo, tú puedes hacerlo.

¿Como podemos limpiar la agua?

Gracias a spiritscienceandmetaphysics.com

La agua es una cosa muy importante al mundo.  Si no tuviéramos agua limpia para beber y crecer comida, no podríamos vivir.  Cambio climático y problemas con el medio ambiente van a tomar mucha agua de nuestro suministro.  Por eso necesitamos encontrar maneras para limpiar agua y usar agua de sal.

Ahora en California hay el peor sequía en más que cien años.  En el pueblo de Porterville muchas personas han perdido sus suministros de agua.  Es una emergencia, pero si pudieran usar agua del mar (o otra cosa) no sería una problema tan malo.

Bill Gates inventar una máquina que 
convierte excrementos humanos a agua potable.  También, este máquina genera electricidad.  En lugares como México y Perú, agua limpia es difícil para encontrar.  Si trabajamos mucho, podemos poner las máquinas en muchas países pobrezas.

Yo tengo un gran respecto por personas como Sr Gates.  Todos somos humanos y solo tenemos una tierra, entonces debemos ayudar otros y cuidar al medio ambiente.  En el futuro quiero trabajar en las ciencias de agua para ayudar los pobres del mundo.

Solicitudes para la Universidad (porque los odio)

Solicitud

Yo odio trabajo extra.  Tengo mucho tarea en mis clases, y también necesito equilibrar presiones de familia, amigos y otros obligaciones.  Necesito más dinero para manejar el carro y salir con mi novia, entonces quiero un trabajo.  Totalmente, tengo mucho para hacer.

Entonces, no necesito más.  Otra vez, no necesito más.  ¿Escuchan las universidades a mi súplica?  La respuesta es un "no" rotundo.  En lugar de ayudarme y disminuir mi trabajo, ellos quieren que escriba un ensayo (o más) para todos y cada universidad.  Todos de las preguntas son un poco diferente, entonces tengo que escribir casi la misma cosa una y otra vez.  Estoy enojado y estoy aburrido.

También, muchas universidades me mandan a escribir todos de mis clases que he tomado y las notas que recibí.  No es necesario porque ellos necesitan verificar mis notas de todos modos.  Ellos van a ver mis notas y clases en mi transcripción, entonces ¿porque necesitamos poner cada clase en la solicitud?  Es demasiado trabajo sin sentido.

Websites como commonapp.org ayudan un poco, pero muchas universidades no usan el common app (MIT, UC Berkeley, Colorado School of Mines), entonces necesito escribir las mismas cosas cientos de veces.  "¿Donde vives?"  "¿Tus padres han asistido universidades?  ¿Cuáles?"  "¿Cuanto dinero ganaron tus padres?"...etc.  Es excesivo.

El gobierno debe obligar las universidades a usar el common app.  Es un buen idea, pero muchos no usan (y no entiendo porque).  Es una pérdida y es trabajo extra para estudiantes y las universidades.  Cuando estoy presidente del mundo, voy a cambiarlo.